First & Last

NB.  This is a repost from 2006.  No lame excuses. 

29th Sunday OT
Fr. Philip N. Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Audio File

Think about how we avoid discomfort, suffering, and death. To avoid discomfort we have invented air conditioning, bucket seats, padded shoes, thermal underwear, and even complex social manners to avoid awkward moments at parties and in public restrooms. To avoid suffering we have invented philosophies that deny evil, political utopias where no one is rich or poor, and religions that believe suffering is as an effect of desire and so we must eliminate desire. To avoid death we have invented material immortalities: surgeries, pharmaceuticals, diets, exercises, genetic therapies, nanotechnologies. To avoid death we have also invented ways of creating and re-creating ourselves out of death, or beyond it—the beautiful immortalities of art, literature, monument, heroism, memory, music. 

How much of our daily living is about avoiding discomfort, suffering, and death? Better question: as members of the Body of Christ, heirs to the Father’s Kingdom, are we called to avoid discomfort, suffering, and death? Is this part of our ministry as disciples, as apostles? When is sacrificial service NOT about discomfort, suffering, and death? 

Isaiah sets us up to understand exactly how suffering—willingly taking on pain for a godly purpose—is essential to sacrificial service: “If he gives his life as an offering for sin…the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.” Note these three: “if he gives his life,” “because of his affliction,” and “through his suffering.” And note the progression: the Lord’s servant freely offers himself for the sin of others…he sees the light in fullness b/c of this sacrificial service…and through his suffering—his willing acceptance of our sin for a higher purpose—the servant brings many to righteousness. He justifies us before the Lord. In other words, because he was discomforted, b/c he suffered, b/c he died, we do not have to. We are instead comforted, free of anxious worry, and we may live eternally. 

So, if this is true—and it is—why then do we still work so hard to avoid discomfort, run so fast from suffering, and dodge the death of repentance so arduously? We do not want to be last. We are creatures of Firsts—first across the line, at the top of our game, highest score, fastest time, strongest lift, best grade, first prize, deepest soul, lightest spirit, hardest body…all to weaken, all to weaken and fade, all to weaken and fade and die. Dust. Shade. Snap of an echo. Gone. 

Who wants to be a servant? Who wants the work of serving others? There is no glamour there, no applause, no dramatic ovation or spray of roses. It’s humble grubbing, embarrassing effort that makes someone’s life better but it just gives me wet armpits, dirty hands, a sore back, and a logjam on my own housework or my DVD watching. Surely, it is better to be served; better to be first and not last; a Master and not a slave. It is! 

If you will be in this world and of it, then you are morally obligated to pursue the best, the first, the highest. To be in and of the world is to be in and of the virtues the world holds up as Good. To be otherwise is suicide. You must honor the bottom-line. Praise efficiency. Worship at the altar of productivity. Practice winner-take-all competition. Lose the losers. Appeal to no power mightier than civil law. Here’s your bumper sticker: “If you have yours, I can’t have mine.” You must celebrate my needs as my rights, otherwise you are oppressing me. You must also celebrate my wants as my rights, otherwise you are hating me. Requiring me to serve others is just you trying to control me with guilt. I don’t do guilt. My adult spirituality is an eclectic weaving together of the best elements of a variety of religious traditions—none of which require anything of me, especially not sacrificial service! If you will be of this world and in it, you must conform to its virtues: work-pride, self-avarice, power-lust, gift-envy, success-gluttony, failure-wrath, and soul-sloth. Play with these worldly virtues or risk their opposing vices: ignored in modesty, disrespected for generosity, mocked for purity, taken for granted in kindness, ostracized for abstinence, laughed at for mercy shown, and hated for one’s holy industry. 

If you will be great among the Lord’s disciples, you will serve. If you will be first among the apostles, you will be a slave to all. 

The pain that Jesus endured on the cross did not and does not save us. The beatings by the Roman soldiers, the betrayal of his disciples, the political backstabbing wheeling-dealing of Pilate—all of these caused Jesus pain. This pain did not save us. Pain is not redemptive. Isaiah heard the Lord say, “If he gives his life as an offering for sin…the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him.” If he gives. James and John ask Jesus to be honored in his kingdom. Jesus says to his honor-seeking disciples: “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink…?” They say, “We can.” We can drink the cup that you, Lord, drink—the same cup that Jesus later prays will pass him by! For the Servant’s pain to be redemptive, for Jesus’ pain on the cross to be redemptive, it must be suffered, that is, “allowed.” It must be taken on with a will and directed to the benefit of others. To wallow in pain is to wallow in pain. Nothing more. To take up pain in the service of others, to designate pain as a sacrifice, to make it holy by giving it away for a holy end—that is suffering! And this suffering mocks the Devil. It scrubs the world clean. It rotates the unholy virtues of pride and greed and blesses them as humility and generosity. 

Discomfort is eased. Suffering is avoided. Death is delayed. We will invent and re-invent human civilization after human civilization in order to ease our discomfort, to avoid our suffering, and to delay our deaths. And we will lift up and parade the secular virtues to justify our refusal to take on service for others. But is this what we as Christians are called to do? Are we called to avoid discomfort, suffering, and death? No. We are called to transform discomfort, suffering, and death; to make each into the good habit of being Christs for others. We are called to turn discomfort into the luxury of humility; to turn pain into the art of redemptive suffering; to turn death into a witness to everlasting Life! 

Our Lord did not die on the cross so that we might be blue ribbon winners or gold medalists. He died on the cross to show us how to be the friends of God. How to be servants to one another. He gave his life as a ransom for many so that we will know how to give our lives as a ransom for many more. 

What does your life stand for? What do you represent in the world? Whom do you serve? Here’s a question for you: will you die for me? For that guy behind you? For your next door neighbor? If you will give your life as an offering for sin, the will of the Lord will be accomplished through you. And because of your affliction you will see the light in fullness of day. Will you be small in the kingdom of God by dying to pride and greed in the service of others? Or will you insist on being great among the Great of the World and in the end find yourself among the Great who proudly rule the smoldering trash heaps of Gehenna? 

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Liberal Fascism, or the meanness of being Nice

A book recommendation: Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning. 

I've been reading this book off and on since it was published in early 2008. It rested among my stored books for four years and now sits on my nightstand. It's not at all what you might think.

Basically, Goldberg argues that the Left in American politics is a "kinder, gentler" form of European fascism. He delves into the history of the movement, starting with Mussolini, and marks out how fascism is a thoroughly leftist ideology. 

He also traces the history of how fascism became associated with the political Right in the U.S. He quotes liberally from 1930's fascist propaganda, noting that many American Leftists at the same praised Mussolini and Hitler for their forward-looking grasp on economics and social engineering.

He's quick to say that he's not claiming that American Leftists are Nazi's, etc. But he does draw some frightening parallels between fascistic "mass movements" in pre-WWII Europe and the student movements of the 1960's and current "identity movements" on contemporary campuses.

I'm not a political philosopher or historian, so I can't judge the truthfulness of his claims in these areas. I can tell you that as a reformed Leftist, many of his claims about the "politics of meaning" and "identity politics" are spot on.

Back in the Big Easy. . .

Made it safely home from my visit with the OP Nuns of Mt Thabor. . .

L to R:  Sr. Maria, Sr. Anne, Sr. Joseph, Sr. Agnes, and Sr. Martin.

Had a great time praying, studying, and laughing with these holy women. 

Among the good discussions and good food. . .there was a rather unusual event:  at dinner on Thursday afternoon, eight young deer bounced passed the dining room window!  How do I know it was unusual?  It caused eight Dominicans to stop eating and talking for a whole five seconds!  :-)

I am looking forward to returning to Michigan and spending more time with the Mighty Nuns of Ortonville.
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3 reminders about confession

A reminder to all those who frequent the confessional:

Just tell Father your SINS.

If you find yourself saying, "Father, I need to give you a little background. . ."  STOP.  No.  You don't.  If background is necessary, the priest will ask for it.  Otherwise, assume none is necessary.

Just tell Father YOUR sins.

If you find yourself saying, "Father, my husband/wife/children/neighbor/co-worker. . ."  STOP.  This is your confession and yours alone.  There is no such thing as vicarious confession.

Just TELL Father your sins.

If you find yourself saying, "Father, I don't know if X is a sin but the moon was full and my car ran out of gas. . ."  STOP.  No explanations.  No excuses.  No reasons why.  No doubts, dodges, or dissembling.  Just TELL.

In all cases, under all circumstances, regardless of intent:  assume that if more info is needed, the priest will ask for it.  Otherwise, just tell Father your sins.  

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Going to Mt Thabor!

Leaving Tuesday morning for a three day retreat with the Dominican nuns of the Monastery of Mt. Thabor.

I'll be giving talks on BXVI's Deus caritas est and enjoying the company of the sisters!

Will be back to blogging Saturday morning (20th).

Fr. Philip Neri, OP

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Unnecessary Signs

St. Teresa of Jesus
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Last night, up for the second time, I was shown a truth about my world I had never thought to question. There just about three feet from the floor, hovering in mid-air, is a small glowing object. I stare for a moment, without my glasses, in the dark, and think for just a second that perhaps the Lord has sent an angel to tell me something amazing. As I contemplate this greenish-yellow glow, thinking about revelations, dreams, and prophecies, I am suddenly struck by the truth of what I am seeing, but there it is, as plain as an October moon, and I realize with a nearly blinding clarity: my toothbrush glows in the dark! Then, just being me, the question arises: why would anyone think to make toothbrushes glow in the dark? Stumbling back to bed, I chuckle myself to sleep wondering what we would look like if our teeth glowed in the dark.*

Strictly speaking, my “vision” of the glowing toothbrush was a discovery not a revelation. Its discovery was accidental and has no meaning beyond what I can give it in a homily about seeking after signs of God’s presence. As a divine sign my glowing toothbrush fails what we can call here the “From Test;” that is, my toothbrush shining in the darkness on the sink cannot be said to be “from” God. We cannot say that a glowing toothbrush made by a creature reveals much about God. Signs point the way and make present that which they signify. Divine signs point the way to God and make His presence knowable to those who desire to know Him. 

The crowds are understandably both curious and worried about Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God. They approach him and make a reasonable request for a sign. Traditionally, those claiming to be “sent from God” provide signs that point to God’s presence and make Him knowable. Those in the crowds are likely pious and certainly curious, and therefore understandably seek some indication from this rabble-rousing preacher that he is who he claims to be. Show us a sign. Jesus’ response is unexpected and harsh: “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it…” We have to wonder why Jesus is being so stubborn. We know he is capable of miraculous deeds. Why not show these folks what they need to see? 

Jesus says that no sign will be given to them “except the sign of Jonah.” Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and nights, so the Son of Man will be “in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” Jonah is expelled from the whale and goes on to preach repentance to the decadent citizens of Nineveh. They repent and return to God’s favor. So Jesus too, expelled from the grave and risen from the dead, will be a sign to the crowds and a sign to us that Jesus is indeed who he claims to be. Jesus goes on to add that on the day of judgment, “the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, b/c they repented at the preaching of Jonah…” Needing no other sign than the earnest preaching of an honest prophet, the citizens of Nineveh return to God. 

Here we are in the second decade of the 21st century, can we be counted an “evil and unfaithful generation” seeking after signs? What signs do we seek? Crying statues? Marian apparitions? Bleeding Hosts? Yes, all of these and many more. But do we need these signs? We do not. We have a magisterial Church, her sacraments, a divine guarantee against defeat, and pews packed with priests, prophets, and kings. All of these speak with one voice to say what is good and what the Lord requires: “Only to do the right and love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

*I should've noted earlier:  this incident is true. . .but it happened back in 2006 when I first preached this homily.

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Gaudet Mater Ecclesia!

from Blessed John XXIII's opening address to the Second Vatican Council, Gaudet Mater Ecclesia:

[. . .]

The greatest concern of the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously. That doctrine embraces the whole of man, composed as he is of body and soul. And, since he is a pilgrim on this earth, it commands him to tend always toward heaven.

[. . .]

 

In order, however, that this doctrine may influence the numerous fields of human activity, with reference to individuals, to families, and to social life, it is necessary first of all that the Church should never depart from the sacred patrimony of truth received from the Fathers. But at the same time she must ever look to the present, to the new conditions and new forms of life introduced into the modern world, which have opened new avenues to the Catholic apostolate.

[. . .]

The salient point of this Council is not, therefore, a discussion of one article or another of the fundamental doctrine of the Church which has repeatedly been taught by the Fathers and by ancient and modern theologians, and which is presumed to be well known and familiar to all.

For this a Council was not necessary. But from the renewed, serene, and tranquil adherence to all the teaching of the Church in its entirety and preciseness, as it still shines forth in the Acts of the Council of Trent and First Vatican Council, the Christian, Catholic, and apostolic spirit of the whole world expects a step forward toward a doctrinal penetration and a formation of consciousness in faithful and perfect conformity to the authentic doctrine, which, however, should be studied and expounded through the methods of research and through the literary forms of modern thought. The substance of the ancient doctrine of the deposit of faith is one thing, and the way in which it is presented is another. And it is the latter that must be taken into great consideration with patience if necessary, everything being measured in the forms and proportions of a Magisterium which is predominantly pastoral in character.

[. . .]

The Holy Father's point here is that the apostolic faith does not and cannot change.  However, how our faith is presented can and should change so that it might be more effectively preached and taught.  

Nowhere in the documents of Vatican Two do the Fathers of the councils radically alter any fundamental Catholic doctrine or dogma.  

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You are lacking one thing

NB.  Our deacons are preaching this weekend. . .so, here's a repost for this Sunday from 2006.

28th Sunday OT
Fr. Philip N. Powell, OP
Church of the Incarnation, Irving, TX

Here’s what I know to be true about everyone in this church, everyone who can hear my voice right now, here’s what’s true about you: you desire to know God, you long to be touched by His spirit, you want more than gold, silver, or cold hard cash to be in His presence and to know his healing grace. How do I know this? There is no other reason for you to be here. No other incentive or reward to come to this place this evening than to encounter the living God. If you are here—and you are—then you are here b/c the Holy Spirit has thumped your ear, kicked you in the rear, or maybe even two-by-foured you upside the head. You are here b/c you know that you will not be filled, will not be settled, will not be gentled or graced or rested with anything or anyone less than the One Who made you. No gold, no silver, no cash, no love, no job, no amount or kind of power will slake your dry thirst, feed your yawning hunger, or tame your wild longing for our Father’s love. He is our beginning and our end, our source and our finish. And nothing shortens His love for us or diminishes His mercy to us. He knows what we need more than air to breathe and water to drink and He is here to give us all that we need. And this is why we are here.

So let me ask you: what riches do you put between you and our Father’s love for you? What possesses you and holds you back? If Jesus looked into your eyes and said to you: “You are lacking one thing for eternal life.” What is that one thing?

The rich young man asks Jesus how he might inherit eternal life. Jesus patiently recites the commandments given to Moses. The young man tells Jesus that he has observed the Law all his life. And then in an moment that deserves its own gospel, Jesus looks into the young man’s heart, loves him, and with this love sees the gaping hole in the young man’s soul—the lack, the longing that defines him. Jesus sees the young man’s enslavement to things. What the young man lacks but desires is poverty. Freedom from stuff. Freedom from ownership. He has many possessions. He is possessed by many things.

So, knowing that the young man seeks eternal life and knowing that he desires to be free of these things, why doesn’t Jesus free him from his possessions? Why not cast out the demons of avarice and liberate the young man from his bondage? Jesus does exactly that. Jesus tells him as precisely as he can: go, sell your stuff, give to the money to the poor, and follow me. His exorcism is complete. But you see, an exorcism is effective only on those willing to be freed from their demons. The young man desires to be free. But he doesn’t will it; he doesn’t act. And so he remains a slave to his possessions. Jesus offers him control over his greed, control over his stuff, and instead, at the words of exorcism, the young man’s face falls and he goes away sad to be sad all his days.

Here’s what you must understand about desire. Desire is at once longing and lacking, hungering and not having. To desire love is to long for it and to admit that you don’t have it. Jesus looks into the heart of the young man and sees his brightest desire, his strongest lack, and he loves him for it. But we cannot be a slave to two masters. We cannot give our hearts to two loves. We must be poor in spirit so that we can be rich in God’s gifts. We must be poor in spirit so that there is room for Christ, room for him to sit at our center and rule from the core of our being. This is what it means for us to prefer wisdom to scepter and throne; to prefer wisdom to health and beauty; to account silver and gold as sludge. In wisdom all good things come together in her company.

This is the point in the homily when I am supposed to exhort you to give up your earthly attachments. Exhort you to surrender your chains: your inordinate love of cars and money and gadgets and sex and drugs and rock and roll…But you know all that, don’t you? You know as well as I do that none of that is permanent. None of that can substitute for the love of God and the grace of his mercy. None of that will bring you happiness. It is ash and smoke and shadow and will never—despite the promises of luxury and attention—will never make you happy. You know this. I don’t need to tell you that nothing created can do what only the Creator can—give you a permanent love and life everlasting.

But let me ask you again: what riches do you put between yourself and our Father’s love for you? What possesses you and holds you back? If Jesus looked into your eyes and said to you: “You are lacking one thing for eternal life.” What is that one thing? Knowing UD students as I do, my guess is that not many of you are held back by expensive possessions. Not many are held back by lands and jewels and gold reserves! Not many of you are suffering under the weighty burden of Gucci, Prada, Christian Dior and Yves St. Laurent!

Let me ask a different set of questions. Let’s see how many hit home. Are you rich in a fear that God doesn’t love you enough? Are you unlovable? Are you so rich in sin that a righteous God couldn’t possibly forgive you? Are you so rich in self-sufficiency, self-reliance that you don’t need other people? So rich in a personal knowledge of God that you don’t need others to reveal the Father to you? Are you so rich in divine gifts that you don’t need the gifts of others to make it day to day? Or maybe you’ve stored up your wealth in good works and can survive without grace for a while? Maybe you don’t need Jesus to look you in the eye and love you because your grasp of the theological and moral constructs of the human experience of the Divine are sufficient to elicit an affirmative response from the ground of your Being to the invitation of the Ground of Being Itself to become more Grounded in Being. Are you burning through your life on the fuel of self-righteous certainty—the false assurance that you’ve got it right all on your own (objectively and absolutely) and that there is nothing else for you to learn and no one competent to teach you? Are you so wise? Are you angry that no one else notices your wisdom? Does your desire for piety and purity bring you closer to your brothers and sisters in Christ, or is this desire an excuse to keep them at a safe distance? Is your public holiness also a private holiness, or is it a pretense that hides a furious lack of charity?

Let me ask the hardest question: what do you fear? More often than not we are slaves to our fears not our loves and we can dodge public responsibility for our fears. We cannot dodge Christ: no creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

I’m not worried. Not even a little. Here’s what I know: we desire to know God, we long to be touched by His spirit, we want more than gold, silver, or cold hard cash to be in His presence and to know his healing grace. We are here b/c He loved us here and we got off the couch, off the computer, off the cell phone, and we made it here for this reason and no other: we cannot be happy w/o Him and there is no better or messier or more graceful place to find Him than among His mongrel children at prayer.

Bring your lack to Him and do what needs to be done to follow Him.

Here's Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP homily for today's readings (H/T: Matheus)
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The Year of Faith & You (Updated)

WHEREAS, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has declared that the next 12 months shall be a Year of Faith;

And WHEREAS, our Supreme Pastor has encouraged the use of social media to promote the teaching and preaching of the Gospel worldwide;

And WHEREAS, Yours Truly is one of the many Catholics who make use of social media to spread the Good News;

HERE is a question:  what specifically can HancAquam do for you in this Year of Faith?

UPDATE:  Let me be a little more specific:  what sorts of posts can I write to help you better understand, live out, and spread the Gospel?

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Crypto-Marxist megabores vs. Young Catholics

The Inimitable Damien Thompson riffs on recent news from America that mainline Protestants no longer dominate our religious culture.

Among other bits of news and commentary, we read: 

Also – and I can’t tell you how much pleasure it gives me to report this – the Vatican has pulled a fast one by appointing two new diocesan bishops, Mark Davies of Shrewsbury and Philip Egan of Portsmouth, who are in tune with conservative youngsters rather than an English Catholic bureaucracy run by crypto-Marxist megabores trained in the public sector.

After I finished wiping the spewed water off my screen, I reflected on the genius of our current Holy Father and prayed hard for his health and safety.

Some dioceses in the US are waking up to the reality that young men called to serve as priests and those called to serve as religious look upon the last forty years of theological and liturgical innovation, experimentation, and dissent as a travesty.  And these dioceses are welcoming these men and women into their discernment programs with open arms. . .much to the horror and despair of some.  

Even some religious orders have figured out that almost no one under 30 who's discerning a religious vocation is remotely interested in liberationist, "social justice," protestantized Catholicism.   Nor do they really crave the largely fictitious Leave It to Beaver Catholicism of the 1950's.  They simply want orthodoxy, fidelity to the magisterium. 

The "crypto-Marxist megabores" in the bureaucratic machinery of dioceses and vocations offices all around the country are sweating.  Why?  'Cause they have intellectually, vocationally, and spiritually contracepted themselves into an inevitable extinction.  Unfortunately for the young men and women entering into the service of the Church, these guys aren't going out w/o a fight. 

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Yes. The Church is under attack.

If for some bizarre reason you do not believe that the Church is under attack by tolerant, diversity-loving secular extremists, please watch this video from Argentina:

NB.  There is some nudity in this video toward the end.  The full story can be found here.

And here's another incident from Canada:

GRANBY, Quebec, October 12, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Quebec pro-life conference was interrupted last weekend when about a dozen pro-abortion protesters stormed the evangelical church in which it was held and began chanting blasphemous slogans in front of the barricaded doors of the conference hall. Police had to bring in reinforcements to remove the protesters [. . .]

And yet another one:

TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In what pro-life leaders are calling a stunning and unprecedented attack on religious freedom, Ontario’s Education Minister has apparently declared that Catholic schools can no longer teach that abortion is wrong [. . .]

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Being a child of God

27th Week OT (S)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Yesterday and today, the Psalmist reminds us that the Lord will remember His covenant forever. How could it be otherwise? We hear: “He has made known to his people the power of his works, giving them the inheritance of the nations” and “He, the Lord, is our God; throughout the earth his judgments prevail.” For the Lord to forget His covenant, His Word He would have to forget Himself! On the cross, the Word made flesh gave himself up so that our burden under the Law might be lifted. Thus Jesus says, “. . .blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Our participation in the New Covenant of Christ begins and ends with our obedience to the Word in faith—both listening to the Word and doing all that the Word commands. I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know when I say: this ain't no easy task. And it doesn't get any easier over time. When Israel failed again and again, the Lord accused her of forgetting the covenant. If there's one thing we can do to maintain the strength of our faith, it's to remember the covenant-promises. Paul reminds us, “. . .through faith [we] are all children of God in Christ Jesus.” 

What does it mean to be a “child of God”? When the Lord made His covenant with Abraham, He promised to be God for Abraham and his descendents forever. He repeated this covenant-promise to Isaac, Jacob, and Moses and kept to it despite the many failures of Israel to uphold her end of the covenant. If you were born a child of Israel, you were a child of God under the covenant, and you were bound by the Law as a sign of the covenant. Following the Law demonstrated your commitment to the covenant that made you a child of God. You sacrificed at the temple in Jerusalem. You followed the dietary law. You kept yourself pure and apart from pagan idols and offered your worship to the Lord alone. If you were male, you were circumcised. All this showed that you were a participant in God's covenant with Abraham. When you followed the Law, God's blessings fell on you and yours in abundance. When you strayed from the Law, it was His wrath that fell instead. Because of the Law, the covenant was limited to Israel. But God's covenant-promise to Abraham included the promise to make him the father of many nations. Therefore, the covenant was never meant to be Israel's alone forever. It took the death and resurrection of the Word made flesh to open Abraham's family to the Gentiles. 

Paul reminds us, “. . .through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.” So, what does it mean to be a “child of God in Christ”? None of us were born a child of Israel under Abraham's covenant with God. But we are all nonetheless children of God in Christ. We do not follow the Law to show our participation in the covenant; rather, we live in faith, trusting in God's promises, thus making us His children in Christ. All the work necessary for us to become children of God under the Law was accomplished for us by Christ. He fulfilled all of our obligations: he took on all of our sin debts; made all of our sacrifices; washed us clean and keeps us pure. Faith in him is the New Covenant and by faith we are participants in all he has done. All that is left for us to do is believe, trust, and never forget God's mercy. When being a child of God through Christ becomes difficult, remember: the Lord will remember His covenant forever. You need only remember it until you see Him face-to-face. You have heard the Word of God, observe it and live as a child of God, the One Who died so that you might live. 

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The promise of the Spirit through faith

27th Week OT (F)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

With a black or white/do or die rhetorical flourish, our Lord lays out an austere choice for those who hear the Good News: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” In case the choice before us isn't clear enough, let me break it down for you. If you are with the Lord, you gather with him. If you are against the Lord, you scatter away from him. What causes Jesus to present us with such a stark choice? The Pharisees accuse Jesus of exorcising demons in the name of Beelzebub, implying that the Lord is a demonic agent. Jesus makes the logical objection: why would Beelzebub send me to expel his demons? “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.” It makes no sense to say that Satan wants his angels exorcised. How could his kingdom stand? Apply this logic to the Church: can those who gather with Christ stand against the devil's offensive if our forces are divided? Though Christ has already won his final victory over sin and death on the cross, we are not yet living with him in eternity. While we remain in this world, the struggle against sin and death demands from us a unity of heart and mind, an allegiance to the center of our faith: Christ Jesus. 

While the kingdom of Satan maintains its unity through pride and deceit, the Kingdom of God holds us together in humility through faith. We know that Christ became sin for us and died for us on the cross. Why? So “that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles. . .that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Any obligation that we might have had under the Law—whether a duty to sacrifice or a punishment for sin—has been fulfilled by Christ on the cross. By fulfilling all of our religious obligations under the Law, Christ made it possible for us to receive the blessing that God gave to Abraham. How do we receive this blessing? We receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. In other words, by our persistent and determined trust in God through Christ, we receive as a gift all of the promises made to our ancestors in faith. Paul writes, “Realize that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham.” All of us here—Gentiles all—are members of the tribe of Abraham in virtue of our faith in Christ. And it is this good habit of trusting in Christ that gathers us to him and keeps us gathered with him when the forces of darkness attack. Our spiritual survival as individuals and as a family depends on our faith, solely on our faith. 

While we remain in this world, our struggle against sin and death demands a unity of heart and mind in faith, a single purpose and a single plan. If the heart of the Church is divided against itself, then her purpose is divided as well. If the mind of the Church is divided against itself, then her plan is divided as well. What is the purpose of the Church? The Church has no other purpose than to be the sacrament of salvation for all God's children, to signify and make present the mercy of God in the world. What's the plan? To preach and teach the Good News as it has been handed on by the apostles; to celebrate the sacraments diligently; and to do good works in the world for the greater glory of God. Christ Jesus dwells at the heart of the Church and occupies her mind; therefore, he directs her purpose and governs her plan. If we will gather with him, we will throw ourselves into the work of his Church, trusting absolutely in the Father's covenant-promises, healing our divisions. Discord, deceit, dissension are the demonic agents of that other kingdom. Our faith is in the name of the Lord. 

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USCCB document on preaching

A cmte of the USCCB is reviewing a document on preaching.  It's titled,  “Preaching the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Homily."

Here are two excerpts from the notice:

“The ultimate goal of proclaiming the Gospel is to lead people into a loving and intimate relationship with the Lord, a relationship that forms the character of their persons and guides them in living out their faith.” It added that “by highlighting his humanity, his poverty, his compassion, his forthrightness, and his suffering and Death, an effective homily would show the faithful just how much the Son of God loved them in taking our human flesh upon himself.”

This is a good summary of what a homily should be. 

“The homily is intended to establish a ‘dialogue’ between the sacred biblical text and the Christian life of the hearer,” the document said. It added that “apt stories that illustrate human experience or the realities of contemporary culture help enliven the homily and open avenues for understanding the meaning of the biblical text….”

I really wish that the word "dialogue" could be stricken from the Church's magisterial vocabulary. More often than not used as an excuse by dissidents to keep the Church talking while they do what they please.  In my experience, a "dialogue" is always a scolding monologue that assumes its righteousness and never allows itself to be questioned. 

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Your Year of Faith

Today marks the beginning of The Year of Faith!

Catholic Culture has a comprehensive list of web resources for your clicking pleasure.

Here are three suggestions from Yours Truly:

1).  Commit to making more and better use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  I hear confessions daily and can tell you that too many Catholics allow themselves to remain "stuck" outside God's loving mercy b/c they falsely believe that God cannot or will not forgive their sins.  Your sins are already forgiven!  Go to confession and receive the forgiveness God has freely given you.

2).  Make Sunday Mass a priority.  Not only is Sunday Mass attendance a precept of the Church, it is also the best way to start your week off right.  Don't allow football games, shopping, "family time," etc. prevent you and your family from spending (at most) an hour and a half of your Sunday at Mass.   While I'm here, let me rail against "parish shopping."  Go to your parish church for Mass.  I know, I know:  the choir at your parish is awful; the pastor is a heretic; they have chubby, middle-aged liturgical dancers. . .none of that will change if you aren't there to encourage change.  How do you think the Spirit of Vatican Two Peace Bong crowd managed to take over and ruin your parish in the first place?  Hint:  they didn't all run to St. Bozo's b/c they liked the hootenanny Mass better.  They stayed where they were and worked from the inside.  Follow their example.

3).  You knew this one was coming:  Demand better preaching!  I won't flog this.  Suffice it to say, preaching in the RCC will not improve until Catholics demand/expect/reward better preaching.  I'm heartened to read accounts from all over the world of good preaching.  Things are improving.  But we have a long way to go.  

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Two. . .count 'em. . .TWO classes!

Woo-Hoo!!!

Scored two classes at Notre Dame Seminary in the spring:  Intro to Modern Philosophy and Intro to the New Testament.

So, it'll be Descartes/Nietzsche/Kant in the morning and Jesus/Paul/John in the afternoon.

Whew.  That's a loooooong day.
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Prayer as a tool for sinners

27th Week OT (W)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

The disciples say to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray. . .” He responds by giving them The Lord's Prayer. Because he gives his disciples The Lord's Prayer in response to their request for instruction in prayer, we assume that the prayer he gives them is how we ought to pray. And so, we recite the Lord's Prayer at every celebration of the Eucharist; many times while praying the rosary; and pretty much anytime we feel the urge to talk to God. It's the perfect prayer. We praise God. We petition Him for our needs. We beg forgiveness. And we ask to be spared the trails of temptation. Not only is it the perfect prayer, it is also an excellent summary of Christian teaching, focusing squarely on the necessity of humility, the need for us to acknowledge our total dependence on God in our daily growth toward holiness. Notice that Jesus doesn't give us a particular posture for prayer. He doesn't tell us to sing the prayer or chant it or rush through it like an auctioneer. There are no special garments or hats or jewelry to wear. In fact, the perfection of this prayer rests in its comprehensive simplicity, its all-encompassing restraint as a means of talking to God. If prayer shapes the one praying, how does The Lord's Prayer mold a Christian into a saint? 

Let's be as clear as possible here: prayer does nothing—absolutely nothing—to God or for God. He doesn't need our prayer. Our prayer cannot change His mind or influence His disposition towards us. The promises He made to our ancestors in faith have been fulfilled in Christ Jesus and every grace we will ever need has already been bestowed. To believe that prayer elicits a response from God implies that we have some kind of control over His will; that we—His creatures—can alter His will. This idea turns faith into magic and a prayer into a spell. Prayers are not incantations that guarantee us the results we desire. Let's remove from our way of thinking about prayer any notion that we are capable of generating or procuring or guaranteeing a gift from God through prayer. True humility—the basis of all prayer—is achieved through perfect surrender, through total detachment from any thought, word, or deed that suggests we are in charge of the blessings we are given. St. Augustine puts it succinctly, “Man is a beggar before God.” If all of this is true, why pray at all? Why petition God for our needs if every gift we will get has already been given? Why bother? 

Prayer is a tool for turning sinners into saints. Think of prayer as a carving knife, whittling away sin to reveal the saint underneath. Think of prayer as a hot bath, soaking away the grime and ache of sin to produce a freshly scrubbed and relaxed soul. Think of prayer as a visit with God where you receive all the gifts He has to give you. Though He is always with us, we are not always with Him. So, everything about prayer is designed to put us fully, consciously in His presence. Words, images, gestures, posture, touching all the senses so that we are fully, consciously engaged in giving Him thanks and praise for His graces. The more we carve, the harder we scrub, the longer we visit, the more acutely aware of His presence we become, and the more fervently we receive His gifts, the better able we are to say, “Thank you, Lord!” Prayer is how we learn to be better beggars before our God. Not b/c God needs us to be beggars, but b/c beggars are truly free to enjoy every gift they are given, every gift they receive. Pride cannot beg. And pride cannot gratefully receive a gift. Saints are sinners who have learned to beg God for His mercy and receive His mercy with thanksgiving. 

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Monks and friars. . .oh my!

Monks of Clear Creek Abbey

Third from the left is a former U.D. student of mine:  James Garrity


Dominican student brothers in Oakland, CA (below)

 Back row, second on the left is a former U.D. student of mine, Thomas More Barba

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Prayer request. . .

Received some VERY good news this morning. . .can't share just yet b/c it's not official and may not be for some time (or ever).

However, I ask for your prayers that all turns out for the best!

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R.I.P.

Just got word from the provincial that Fr. Aaron Arce, OP died this morning.

R.I.P.

P.S. Fr. Aaron was the cheeky friar who coined the term, "Ample Friar" to refer to those of us--like himself--who are less than Gym Bunny sized.
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